On Friday, Oct. 4, friends, family, and supporters alike crowded together as the St. Olaf Jazz ensemble played a bright tune for the Grand Opening of The Shop 1500.
The barber shop, which has finally been given a permanent home on the second floor of Buntrock Commons, is a physical manifestation of the hard work and resilience of Aidan Lloyd ’24 and Giovanni Green ’23.
Their journey began in 2021, when the pair, both St. Olaf students and football players, created a pop-up barbershop in the Pause for Black and multicultural students after struggling to find proper hair services in Northfield, a predominantly white town. The pop-up shop worked to meet a need on campus and, as its success grew, was featured in the CBS Documentary “Crown.”
Now, three years and many difficult conversations later, their vision has been brought to life into a space for students of color on campus to belong and create community.
Standing before friends and family, Jerome Covington ’25, the manager of The Shop 1500, began the celebration.
“This wouldn’t have been possible without the hard work from our incredible team and our wonderful administration,” Covington said. “We’re excited to see the shop become a hub, not just for students to feel at home, but to build connections across campus.”
When Lloyd spoke to the crowd, he offered two key words to those who continue the legacy of The Shop 1500: dignity and community.
“Dignity comes in the physical form. This space accomplishes what the pop-up barbershop never could,” Lloyd said. “Community comes in a spiritual sense; the space was carefully curated and designed to encourage students to have meetings, watch parties and whatever else you all can imagine, a place to engage and be present with each other.”
Other speakers included President Susan Rundell Singer and Sarah Kazadi-Ndoye, the director of “Crown.”
“Something like this doesn’t just happen, right? It takes heart. It takes fight. It takes an insane amount of persistence, and I’m so incredibly proud to have borne witness to a small part of this inspiring journey as a storyteller and a documentary filmmaker,” said Kazadi-Ndoye.
After remarks concluded, people assembled to see The Shop 1500. As they chatted and examined the black-and-gold shop, Covington spoke of its inspiration: Former Assistant Dean of Community Life and Diversity Bill Green ’77.
Green, who worked at St. Olaf for 25 years, was a powerful advocate for BIPOC students on campus, who regularly hired barbers to come to campus and cut their hair without charge. Green passed away in 2021, but his legacy will continue in more ways than one. In memory of his impact, The Shop 1500 — which is located in the space where Green’s former office was — has been dedicated to him, as well as a new scholarship in his name.
St. Olaf partnered with Lawal Scott Erickson (LSE) Architects, the largest Black-owned architectural firm in the Midwest, to design and build the shop.
The shop itself is fitted with four barber chairs, a vending machine with curly-hair-oriented products, a TV, and chairs and booths for students to use. The shop will be open for students from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m every Monday.
For Lloyd, ensuring that this space was inviting was crucial.
“I think that’s the biggest thing: it creates community,” said Lloyd in an interview with The Olaf Messenger. “It creates an opportunity for a community that doesn’t necessarily have a stake at the school to finally have a space that… students of color, specifically Black students… know is centered around our culture.”
LSE Principal Director of Education and the Public Sector Jennifer Anderson-Tuttle gives a nod to Lloyd’s vision in the process. “He really was kind of leading the vision, and we were just excited to work with him,” Anderson-Tuttle said in an interview with The Olaf Messenger. “Not often you meet a young man with such a clear idea of what he wanted to accomplish.”
The Shop’s first haircut was an exciting one. In the spirit of the grand opening, Rundell Singer had nine inches of her hair cut off, an annual donation to an organization that makes wigs for children with cancer.
The first student to get a service after the opening was SGA Vice President Yolanda Pauly ’25. As her hair was being braided, she noted how exciting the event was.
“It’s fun to share a moment with the president,” said Pauly.
Covington and Mariam Elkemary ’25, assistant manager of The Shop 1500, will continue the shop and Lloyd and Green’s legacy.
“It’s just powerful and brings a sense of community and service. I hope that people come together and utilize the space,” Covington said.
